Utillity functions and classes

This module contains utility functions and classes.

• Note
• X-ray scattering simulation
  • Theory
    • Units
  • Example
  • Further details
    • XrDebye class members
      • XrDebye
        • XrDebye.calc_pattern()
        • XrDebye.get()
        • XrDebye.get_waasmaier()
        • XrDebye.plot_pattern()
        • XrDebye.set_damping()
        • XrDebye.write_pattern()
  • References

ase.utils.opencew(filename, world=None)

ase.utils.seterr(**kwargs)

Set how floating-point errors are handled.

See np.seterr() for more details.

ase.utils.plural(n, word)

Use plural for n!=1.

>>> from ase.utils import plural

>>> plural(0, 'egg'), plural(1, 'egg'), plural(2, 'egg')
('0 eggs', '1 egg', '2 eggs')

ase.utils.formula_hill(numbers, empirical=False)

Convert list of atomic numbers to a chemical formula as a string.

Elements are alphabetically ordered with C and H first.

If argument \(empirical\), element counts will be divided by greatest common divisor to yield an empirical formula

ase.utils.formula_metal(numbers, empirical=False)

Convert list of atomic numbers to a chemical formula as a string.

Elements are alphabetically ordered with metals first.

If argument \(empirical\), element counts will be divided by greatest common divisor to yield an empirical formula

ase.utils.convert_string_to_fd(name, world=None)

Create a file-descriptor for text output.

Will open a file for writing with given name. Use None for no output and ‘-’ for sys.stdout.

Deprecated since version 3.22.1: Please use e.g. ase.utils.IOContext class instead.

ase.utils.workdir(path, mkdir=False)

Temporarily change, and optionally create, working directory.

class ase.utils.timing.Timer(print_levels=1000)

Timer object.

Use like this:

timer = Timer()
timer.start('description')
# do something
timer.stop()

or:

with timer('description'):
    # do something

To get a summary call:

timer.write()

class ase.utils.timing.timer(name)

Decorator for timing a method call.

Example:

from ase.utils.timing import timer, Timer

class A:
    def __init__(self):
        self.timer = Timer()

    @timer('Add two numbers')
    def add(self, x, y):
        return x + y

Symmetry equivalence checker

This module compares two atomic structures to see if they are symmetrically equivalent. It is based on the recipe used in XtalComp

class ase.utils.structure_comparator.SymmetryEquivalenceCheck(angle_tol=1.0, ltol=0.05, stol=0.05, vol_tol=0.1, scale_volume=False, to_primitive=False)

Compare two structures to determine if they are symmetry equivalent.

Based on the recipe from Comput. Phys. Commun. 183, 690-697 (2012).

Parameters:

angle_tol: float

angle tolerance for the lattice vectors in degrees

ltol: float

relative tolerance for the length of the lattice vectors (per atom)

stol: float

position tolerance for the site comparison in units of (V/N)^(1/3) (average length between atoms)

vol_tol: float

volume tolerance in angstrom cubed to compare the volumes of the two structures

scale_volume: bool

if True the volumes of the two structures are scaled to be equal

to_primitive: bool

if True the structures are reduced to their primitive cells note that this feature requires spglib to installed

Examples:

>>> from ase.build import bulk
>>> from ase.utils.structure_comparator import SymmetryEquivalenceCheck
>>> comp = SymmetryEquivalenceCheck()

Compare a cell with a rotated version

>>> a = bulk('Al', orthorhombic=True)
>>> b = a.copy()
>>> b.rotate(60, 'x', rotate_cell=True)
>>> comp.compare(a, b)
True

Transform to the primitive cell and then compare

>>> pa = bulk('Al')
>>> comp.compare(a, pa)
False
>>> comp = SymmetryEquivalenceCheck(to_primitive=True)
>>> comp.compare(a, pa)
True

Compare one structure with a list of other structures

>>> import numpy as np
>>> from ase import Atoms
>>> s1 = Atoms('H3', positions=[[0.5, 0.5, 0],
...                             [0.5, 1.5, 0],
...                             [1.5, 1.5, 0]],
...            cell=[2, 2, 2], pbc=True)
>>> comp = SymmetryEquivalenceCheck(stol=0.068)
>>> s2_list = []
>>> for d in np.linspace(0.1, 1.0, 5):
...     s2 = s1.copy()
...     s2.positions[0] += [d, 0, 0]
...     s2_list.append(s2)
>>> comp.compare(s1, s2_list[:-1])
False
>>> comp.compare(s1, s2_list)
True

compare(s1, s2)

Compare the two structures.

Return True if the two structures are equivalent, False otherwise.

Parameters:

s1: Atoms object.

Transformation matrices are calculated based on this structure.

s2: Atoms or list

s1 can be compared to one structure or many structures supplied in a list. If s2 is a list it returns True if any structure in s2 matches s1, False otherwise.

Symmetry analysis

https://atztogo.github.io/spglib/python-spglib.html

Phonons

http://phonopy.sourceforge.net/